One Vibration Too Many: When Music Merges Under Your Skin

Vibrotactile systems offer a promising route for musical ac-cessibility, yet it remains unclear to what extent the tactile system cansegregate simultaneous frequency components. We tested whether two si-nusoidal vibrations delivered through a single actuator can be perceivedas distinct. Participants judged whether they felt one or two componentswhile frequency separation was systematically varied. Across conditions,two-component stimuli were rarely perceived as two distinct vibrations,suggesting that polyphonic content cannot be reliably conveyed througha single vibrating actuator.